*Please transfer the notes from your meeting onto this page. Include when and where you met, what you talked about, conclusions reached, and when/if you'll meet again. Also identify any task delegations that may have been made.


6/23/09

Phone Meeting with Alli Reed From UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley now has 100,000 dollars in grant money to start a coop!

- 5,000 from UC Berkely
-91,000 from TGIF (The Green Initiative Fund @ UC Berkely) --> 2.25 was taken out of all students' tuition.

How they began: Anti Panda Express campaign
-Protest
-Contacted Media Sources - opinion pieces
-Images
They only began in JAN/FEB of this year with 6 people they now have 20 committed members

The admin was in favor of their activism and group/ideas

there was a lot of empty space on campus

Student gov't was in favor and is "land lord" of the space

they are functioning as an independent business
-non profit
-tax exempt 501 C(3)
-fiscal sponsorship

Hired a business analyst (for $2,000) to create business plan this summer ---> post receiving grants!!!

-Group never spent money from pocket, besides occasional making food for meetings

-Talked to local farmers and potential suppliers and set up a deal that the suppliers would bring in a taste of their food item for the group to taste at any given meeting to see if they might want to use their product

-Went to all farmers markets, food festivals, ad cenferences and talked it up!!!!
- Find a socially alternative printing press (free?) to print anything/ everything (shirts, stickers, pamphlets, cards etc.)
-building community support

-Their coop Structure:
5 committees
-Publicity
-media
-brochures etc.
-logos
-Out Reach
-Campus
-Clubs
-Faculty/staff
-Community
-Fundraising
-Grants etc.
-Policy
-structure
-membership
-contacts
-IT
-Web Page
-Wiki
-List serve

Within each of these committees there is one point person. These five point people make up the steering committee of the group.

The steering committee meets at least 2 X a week for a total of 6-7 hours

Whole group meets 1X a week for two hours and steering committee spends two hours before hand preparing the meeting!

Meetings are FUN!!! a Game at each meeting!!!

emphasis on facilitation training for all members (or at least steering committee)

First project as a group!
Produce Stand
-during freshman orientation
Got produce from a connection for cheap and agreed to pay back as they made money
worked 4 hour shifts until produce was gone
sold: broccoli, citrus, berries, cauliflower etc.

Shameless Self Promotion!!


5/11/09

FULL WEEK ON VENDORS ROW: Last week of May
*Anthony/Drew/Juliana- Shirt creation with logo
*Anthony- Music?; in contact with engineering classes
*Juliana- Kitchen! rent/use; create a facebook group
*Alyson- Grant search; find and email information for receiving food handlers permit; talk to Jean about kitchen, food prep stuff; Jack installation art
*Jeff- Write menu for "taste of co-op" trial run
*Brendan- secure space on vendors row; get money from AS

OTHER
We discussed the potential of having some kind of a table at End Fair, and the need to have a table at the info fair next fall. It is important that we figure out an actual name for ourselves, and to tell people to email it to the gmail account if they have any ideas.
ALSO, future conversations should be focused on figuring out an alternative form of money (card, gift certificate) that students can purchase through the university and use towards vendors row purchases.

5/3/09

*The Monday Co-op meetings will be held from now on in the Public Market due to the lack of space in the Down Town Co-op
*Work Party Thursday the 7th at 7:45 in Miller Hall computer lab
Tasks
  • Matt- Emailed Farmers; Meet with vendors row people
  • Maria- "Howard Bowers Fund"- grant research (Alyson)
  • Julianna- Research kitchens (Chow Time, Eagles) ;send out form for having spot on vendors row
  • Brendan- Write Proposal
  • Drew/Anthony- Artistic Stuff, alternative sources of energy

WANTS/NEEDS- Jones Soda to donate bike, industrial freezer, canner, van, storage unit

5/3/09- At large pot luck: Updating SSF, RFC photo petition, Dining Halls Surveying Students for Sustainable Foods- becoming a club (again), mission statement, redirect SSF gmail to Co-op gmail. Real Food Challenge- Tabeling wed, thurs, fri- sign up on link under "Announcements" on home page Dining Halls Survey- All this week in different dining halls; survey to give to dining services on "sustainability dinner" Co-op- Vendors Row direction going well, meeting monday, Nicole Brown will donate sprouts for vendors row if necessary *Tuesday Red Square pot-luck@ noon (Julianna's envisioning sustainable futures class)

4/26/09:

Elections- A facebook message was sent with the co-op's recomendation of candidates to represent western in its 09/10 school year. It was suggested that the process of selecting candidates begins earlier next year.
Vendors Row- The week after next, the co-op will have a "trial-run" on vendors row. Zach will email local farms, Brendan sent in a request form for donation money from the city co-op, Jeff and Duncan will make bread, Maria will make a "coming soon" type of sign. People who wish to table in Red Square sometime during the days of May 6,7, and 8 to help publicize this and other Sustainable Food events should sign up on the wiki.
Business Classes- Two classes from the business department are now working for us, designing menus that will incorporate locally available/produced foods, as well as provide a price analysis. The suggestion was made that a permanent class be created in order to ensure future continuity.
Things to look into- separate co-op version of munch money; possibility of grants to classes to co-op (independent business).

9/30: Kick-Off Potluck

Where: 1427 North Co-op
When: 6:30 P.M. September 30th, 2008
Sixty people attended the first Co-op potluck and the Stud Co-op House was filled to its limits. We cooked for the first hour or so. There was a short, inspirational talk about what the Co-op and what we can accomplish together. People filled out sheets with their name, email, their vision for the co-op, and what they wan to contribute. The rest of the night had some dancing, co-op discussions, eating, hanging out, and dishes.
Next Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Tuesday October 7th, 2008, 1427 North Garden, A Potluck
Proposed Agenda: Developing Message, Universal Vision, Co-op 101,

10/7: The Vision Potluck

Where: 1427 North Co-op
When: 7:30 P.M. October 7th, 2008
Over thirty people came together for the second co-op potluck. Food was made for the first 30 minutes or so. Then Brendan tried to give people a greater understanding of the Co-op in his largely question and answer 'Co-op 101.' We went over the visions people had of the co-op and the message we want to spread as a Co-op. We talked about projects that need to be completed and broke into committees of sorts.
Next Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Tuesday October 14th, 2008, 1427 North Garden, A Desserluck
Proposed Agenda: Co-op Pedia and how to be a part of the Co-op